LifeDoneWell is thrilled to introduce you to a new contributing writer, Maria Smith.
Maria is married with 4 kids, aged 13 to 8. In her pre-baby life, she was a TV producer at shows such The Oprah Winfrey Show and ESPN’s Sportscenter. A graduate of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Maria was a four year Division I basketball player. She was an Academic All-American among winning other awards.
Now, she spends her professional time writing her own blog, Mamalicious Maria, as well as writing for a variety of print and online outlets, including LifeDoneWell!
Maria enjoys writing about family travel, fun things to do, yummy food, parenting tips and tricks to help others live a fuller, easier, and better life.
Her favorite recipes include “easy” in the title and she has been known to outsource craft projects, especially those that involve glitter. She can play a mean game of tennis, coaches basketball, and volunteers relentlessly at her children’s school. Whew…
Being Mamalicious
Maria Smith believes being Mamalicious is something she can inspire in others, while aspiring to it herself! She isn’t perfect and you won’t find perfection in her posts, her social media feed or in her real life. She wants to encourage other moms to do the best they can, when they can.
Maria believes moms need to understand when good enough is good enough, and when they should stretch themselves toward their best. She enjoys writing for LifeDoneWell because she loves the tips from other moms across the country. It’s like a window into unique experiences she doesn’t see in her daily life.
Is Maria Smith an expert?
No. Maria does not believe she is an expert. However, she is one of the top parenting and family travel bloggers in the country. She has learned how to shape words and uses that skill to share her experiences.
Maria has been featured as a “mom” expert on everything from World News Tonight, HLN and NBC Nightly News to Babble and Redbook. She was also named one of the best Atlanta Mom bloggers by Atlanta Magazine. When not writing for LifeDoneWell, you can find her writing for a variety of media outlets including Lifestyle Publications magazines.
Read: Pandemic parenting tips that will give you hope
Maria’s Best Advice for Moms: Be Ok With Being Imperfect
Have you ever been the mom with tears streaming down your cheeks because despite your best efforts, you disappointed your kids? Or your partner? Or yourself? Do you wonder why disappointing someone sends you into a tailspin?
Well, there’s a name for it…it’s called a mom fail. We can feel guilty, incapable, and in danger of not living up to our crazy high expectations. What I’ve learned and try to remember daily is that once in a while, we all fail. We all are imperfect.
Maria wants everyone to really hear her. She wants you to hear her. Her most important piece of advice to moms is that even if you make a mistake, you are not a mistake. You are allowed to do something wrong, or not up to your standards.
You are allowed to let a ball drop. You are allowed to disappoint your family, your boss, your friends, once in awhile. It is OK if you can’t pull your weight every single time, every single day. You can have a mom fail and still be a spectacular mom.
If you know nothing else about Maria Smith, she wants to tell you this: “I give you, and myself, permission to not be everything to everyone. You have permission to say “I’m sorry.” “I forgot.” “I missed that.” And not beat yourself up about it.
Missing one deadline will not kill you. A mistake will not make you unsuccessful or ruin your friendships. Making a mistake will not make you unloved.
Welcome, Maria Smith!
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Maria is a mom of 4 in Atlanta, GA. When she’s not writing, she is playing tennis, coaching basketball or honing her newfound love of gardening.
